Cultural and historical curiosities about fruits

1. Global and regional fruits
Fruits consumed globally – Apple, banana, papaya, grapes, lime, mango, melon, orange, pear, pineapple, strawberries and watermelon.
Regional Brazilian fruits – acai berry, strawberry guava, sugar apple (Annona squamosa), babassu nut, platonia, biriba, moriche palm fruit, yellow mombin, carambola, cupuacu, African oil palm fruit, Annona coriacea, genipap fruit, guava, soursop (Annona muricata), jabuticaba, jackfruit, Malay apple, cowboy orange (Ziziphus joazeiro), mangaba (Hancornia speciosa), passion fruit, nance (Byrsonima crassifolia), oiti fruit (Licania tomentosa Benth.), pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), Surinam cherry, pitomba, peach-palm fruit (Bactris gasipaes), sapota fruit (Manilkara zapota), jocote (Spondias purpurea), tamarind, umbu (Spondias tuberosa), among others. 

To learn more about the rich variety and nutritional properties of regional Brazilian plants, refer: Ministry of Health, Alimentos regionais brasileiros (Regional Brazilian foods), Brasília, 2002 (available at SANS Network library and at the Ministry of Health website).